Old Wounds
by eena-angel2001
Summary: Old wounds never really heal . . . Features Stacy Kiebler, HHH, Jeff Hardy, and lots of others. Warning: mentions of rape in later chapters
1. Parts 1 to 7

Title: Old Wounds  
  
Author: eena_angel2001  
  
Email: eena_angel@hotmail.com mailto:eena_angel@hotmail.com or igrewal@sfu.ca  
  
mailto:igrewal@sfu.ca  
  
Rating: R  
  
Category: WWE, slightly AU.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, except Erin.  
  
Spoilers: None really.  
  
Summary: Old wounds never really heal . . .  
  
Notes: okay, there's a whole bunch of stuff:  
  
1. warning here is that later in the story there will be some discussion of rape.  
  
2. This is lightly based on a storyline from Xena. I used to watch that show when I was younger and there was one storyline that really stuck out to me. It was real angst-y and I don't know if anyone will recognize it. Probably will, so I won't reveal everything just yet.  
  
3. This is AU, so here are some things that I change in the WWE verse. One thing, no branch extension, I never liked it, still don't. And I'm changing some alliances and stuff, haven't really gotten anything concrete except that Stacy will be walking out HHH for reasons explained later.  
  
4. This will have supernatural elements.  
  
Part One:  
  
God, she couldn't believe that she was doing this. She hated things like this. It was degrading, humiliating, and she had to be the only one who felt like that. If you didn't count Molly Holly that is, but she didn't really consider Molly to be that important anyway. But the other divas were okay with it. Happy on some level that they could show off their bodies in some way. Like that stupid Divas Undressed show. Lord she had hated doing that. How could anything be considered an athletic competition when the sole purpose was to show some T & A? She had been forced to wrestle in a multitude of stupid things. Underwear, lingerie, bikinis, you name it. And she was getting sick of it.  
  
And you couldn't tell by looking at her. No, she kept her true feelings about this to herself. Didn't want to ruin her image was the slutty girl who would do anything to make it in this business. Little did they know, this business was the last thing she could care about.  
  
But she had to put on the act. She couldn't let people see who she was on the inside. Some of these wrestlers would be very surprised to find out the things she had been through in her lifetime. She was tougher than she looked, she had to be. For all the crap she went through in her life, a stiff upper lip had gotten her through it. Corny and insensitive, she knew, but very true in her case.  
  
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. A women's battle royale for contender ship to the title. It would have been less of a pain if Vince hadn't made it a bikini match. That's right, the divas were wrestling in thongs and g-strings. At least the fans were happy.  
  
Stacy Kiebler growled to herself as she watched some of the women going at it from backstage. She didn't want to be in this match-up, but her client had signed her up. Said it would be good for her to get some more experience in the ring. Bullshit. He just wanted to torment her endlessly. He seemed to get off on it.  
  
Not for the first time Stacy lamented the events leading up to her new assignment, Triple H. It would have been nice if it was a mutual agreement thing, but that wasn't the case. Vince and Hunter were playing poker with the APA. Vince actually bet his personal assistant, Stacy, in the ante. Vince had lost to the Game and she was now stuck walking his conceited ass to ringside.  
  
She brushed hair out of her face angrily, thinking of the man she was supposed to be managing. Hunter didn't take her seriously at all. He made her do the most embarrassing things. Like walk his dog, pick up his dry- cleaning, or organize his wrestling gear. And he liked signing her up for these stupid matches where the sole focus was on stripping people to the bare essentials.  
  
If he only knew the truth, he wouldn't be so quick to push her around. Hell, he'd be too scared. Everyone would be scared of her. Lita and Trish would stop disparaging her, the males would have to treat her with some respect, and Hunter would have to stop messing with her. Hell, life would be so much easier if they only knew.  
  
But she repressed the urges to share all. Even though there were times when she just wanted to rip Lita's throat out, or to just knock Hunter flat on his ass. She could do it too. She still had that in her, still had all her moves. She practiced every night before she went to bed. Went through her routine just so she wouldn't get rusty. You know, in case.  
  
But in case never happened. And that was a good thing. That was a very good thing. Stacy didn't want anything to happen. She left it all behind, but that didn't mean everything would let her leave. She had been okay for a few years now, but there was one thing Stacy Kiebler knew. Never trust fate. Because then it has an ample excuse to come bite you on the ass.  
  
*****  
  
Lita could barely contain herself. It was so stupid. All the divas running around the ring in little string bikinis. They were trying to wrestle while almost trying to master the art of not popping out of their tops. It hadn't worked that great so far. Torrie and Ivory had flashed a little during this match. Both were disgruntled and eliminated from the match due to the distraction. There was now only Lita, Trish, Terri, Jackie, Jazz, Jacky, Linda, and Nidia left in the ring. That would change as soon as the last combatant entered the ring. Stacy Kiebler had been lucky enough to draw the last spot for match entry, but it wouldn't do her any good in the end. Lita had a few things planned for the leggy blonde she detested so much.  
  
No, wait a second. Stacy wasn't the last one in the match. She was second to last. Vince was saving the last spot for some new diva he had recently hired. Whatever, either way, Lita was so on top of this thing.  
  
*****  
  
The stupid match had yet to end. There were only three people left in the ring. Trish, Lita, and Stacy. And Stacy was well aware that the other two would happily gang up on her. So she sighed and prepared to take it.  
  
Lita tossed her over the rope rather quickly. Stacy was able to plan the fall, taking it so it wouldn't hurt as badly as the redhead had wanted. In fact, she was able to stand not a minute afterwards. She did her customary pout and hissy fit before starting up the ramp.  
  
And that's when it all went down hill.  
  
New music blasted out across the speakers. It was a vaguely familiar tune, one Stacy couldn't quite place. She knew automatically it was Vince's new diva, the one he had been crowing about for two weeks. Stacy stood at the bottom of the ramp, waiting to throw her first fit in front of the rookie. Never did Stacy imagine that she would be the one coming down that ramp. The blonde nearly keeled over in shock.  
  
She wasn't dressed in the mandatory bikini. In fact, she looked much more comfortable in a pair of leather pants and a black tank top. She looked just like the last time Stacy had seen her. Long brown hair done up in a ponytail. Green eyes set in a face of pure anger and raw hatred. There was fire in those eyes. Fire Stacy knew that was mirrored in her own right now.  
  
They stared at each other for a second. Stacy knew the match continued on, but she didn't hear it. She didn't hear the fans cheering, the cameramen running about. She didn't hear anything but the blood roaring in her ears. Stacy looked up at her enemy and saw red.  
  
And then she attacked.  
  
*****  
  
Part Two:  
  
"Hunter, you are hilarious!"  
  
The man known as the Game merely smirked at the compliment paid to him by one Jeff Hardy. The male wrestlers had gathered at the monitors for the divas bikini battle royale match. Stacy had just made her debut. She was marching down to ringside, a haughty look on her face. But Hunter knew better. She had been absolutely furious to learn he had put her in this match. For a split second, he even thought she would slap him. Just for a second, and then it was gone.  
  
"How much more of this is she going to take?" was Edge's question. His grey eyes were focused on the screen. This was possibly even better than the Divas Undressed Special.  
  
"She'll take whatever I come up with," Hunter scoffed. "Vince signed her over to me. According to the deal, she belongs to me."  
  
"Nice to know you're being so kind about it," Matt Hardy put in, eyes worriedly watching the progress of his girlfriend. Lita seemed to be doing very well. He just didn't like the whole aspect of her in a bikini, on display for millions. Hunter didn't have that problem with Stacy. The Cerebral Assassin actually revelled in the misery of his manager.  
  
"And there she goes," Hunter announced loudly, watching as Stacy was thrown forcibly out of the ring. He winced inwardly at the impact, momentarily concerned that she had been hurt. Joking aside, he didn't want any physical injury coming to the girl.  
  
He watched Stacy climb to her feet with a sort of pride in him. She had taken the fall well, planned for it. Maybe she was learning to be a better wrestler.  
  
"So it's Lita and Trish," Edge surmised. "Who's the favourite?"  
  
"Lita," Matt and Jeff responded automatically. Hunter smirked at that. Such loyal boys the redhead had with her.  
  
"Don't forget about the rookie," he reminded them, eyes watching Stacy throw a hissy fit. "She isn't even in the ring yet."  
  
"No offence, but what rookie could even compare to Trish or Lita?" Jeff scoffed. "They are both multiple women's champs. I doubt the newbie even stands a chance."  
  
"Well, we're about to find out," Matt interjected, pointing to the screen. "Because here she comes."  
  
The men watched as a brunette calmly sauntered out onto the ramp. She was clad in leather pants and a tank top. Hunter frowned at that. This was supposed to be a bikini match.  
  
"Why isn't she in a bikini?" Edge asked, voicing the Game's exact thoughts.  
  
"I don't know," Jeff frowned, edging closer to the monitor. "Because she's supposed to be for this match-"  
  
"What the hell is Stacy doing?" Matt interrupted.  
  
Hunter turned to the monitor to see his manager launch herself up the ramp at the rookie. Thinking she had possibly lost her mind, the Game rose to go collect her. Until he saw what she was doing.  
  
Hunter sank down in his seat as he watched Stacy land a series of punches on the rookie. The brunette took a lot of it, before turning on her foot, bringing her other leg down across Stacy's face. The force of it flipped the blonde, she landed painfully on the ramp. And then Stacy turned onto her back and flipped up into a standing position. It wasn't a wrestling move; it looked more like some form of martial arts. Hunter watched mesmerized as the two women circled one another.  
  
What the hell was going on?  
  
*****  
  
Lita had been focused on her match with Trish. She really had been. And the blonde had been equally focused on her. But then the explosion on the ramp distracted the both of them.  
  
Lita and Trish stilled immediately, eyes going to the ramp. They watched astonished as Stacy and the rookie flew at one another. Stacy lunged, landing a vicious uppercut on the brunette. The brunette went down, sweeping the blonde's long legs out from underneath her. And then they were struggling on top of one another. The fans loved it, but the wrestlers were more than a little confused.  
  
"What the hell is Stacy doing?" Trish wondered. "I've never seen her do that. Ever."  
  
Lita nodded in agreement. Stacy had never done anything like that in the ring. If she had, Stacy wouldn't be the backstage joke she was. Looking at her now, Lita realized that all these months, Stacy had been holding back.  
  
Both women got out of the ring as referees spilled out to try and separate the fighting duo. The match long forgotten, Lita watched in amazement as the two pushed away refs like it was no problem at all. She was even further shocked when Stacy sent Mike Chioda flying headfirst into the backstage area. The two women were intent on fighting, and no one could stop them.  
  
Lita watched as they traded kicks and punches, spinning and flipping around all over the ramp. She saw blood trickling down from Stacy's mouth. The brunette was favouring her right arm while Stacy favoured her left leg. They were doing real damage to one another. And they weren't stopping.  
  
"They're going to kill each other!" Trish shrieked in panic. Lita couldn't help but agree. The whole situation had taken a serious turn. Even the fans were starting to murmur in concern. But the two fighters wouldn't be stopped for anything. Lita watched in absolute horror as they went flying through the glass slates in the RAW backdrop.  
  
*****  
  
Stacy saw her being angled but towards the glass slates. Twisting at the last second, Stacy latched onto her head and turned her back to it. Both went tumbling through the slate.  
  
Stacy heard the broken pieces of glass tinkle as they hit the floor. She followed seconds later, wincing when she felt herself being stabbed by tiny pieces of glass. The blonde lost her grip on her opponent as she hit the floor. They went tumbling apart.  
  
Stacy put her hands on the ground and pushed herself up a bit. She sensed her enemy right behind her. Stacy grabbed onto the longest shard of glass she could, spinning on her heels to bring the glass piece to the brunette's throat.  
  
And pausing when she felt a sharp shard at her throat as well. She looked right into the green eyes of her enemy, feeling a snarl escape her lips.  
  
The two foes remained frozen like that, hands at each other's throat.  
  
*****  
  
Hunter couldn't run fast enough. He knew that the others were right on his heels. He saw other wrestlers making their way to the ring as well. Everyone saw what had happened. Hunter had to go stop his manager before she killed anyone.  
  
But his mind was racing. He had never seen Stacy move like that. Hell, with moves like that, the blonde should be the women's champ. And she sure as hell wouldn't have to put up with his stunts. Why had she been hiding that? And who was this brunette who suddenly raised homicidal instincts in the normally whimpering blonde?  
  
Hunter skidded out to the curtain area. He pushed his way through the gather refs and wrestlers to the front. He froze when he saw the two of them, ready to slit each other's throat. They were engaged in some sort of showdown with their glares.  
  
Hunter stood still, not daring to breath. Anything could set them off, things were so tense. His mind raced to find a way to resolve this whole situation.  
  
And not to end up with two very dead divas at the same time.  
  
*****  
  
Stacy felt her chest heaving. She stared into those green eyes she knew so well. Stacy saw the hate and raw danger flickering in them. She knew the same was reflected in her own eyes.  
  
Stacy was also well aware they had an audience. She motioned with her eyes to the spectators. A cruel smile formed on the lips of her enemy.  
  
"Are you going to kill me?" the brunette laughed dangerously. "Going to slit my throat in front of all these people?"  
  
"No," Stacy admitted. "But you won't either."  
  
"You know me so well," the brunette sneered. "It's like we're soul mates."  
  
"Fuck you," Stacy shot back at her.  
  
"Not in this lifetime," the brunette retorted. "But it seems we have to finish this at another time. And there will be another time."  
  
"So, you really are Vince's new eye candy," Stacy gave her a slight smirk. "Who did you have to do to get there? Oops, I meant what."  
  
"Anything to get a chance at you," the brunette returned. "But, for another time Stace."  
  
"Another time," Stacy consented, lowering the glass shard slowly. The brunette smirked and forcefully grabbed the blonde by the back of her head. She pulled Stacy in for a quick, cruel kiss. Stacy kissed back, sealing the deal. And then her enemy jumped up and raced away. Stacy sat back on her legs, eyes following her darkly.  
  
Sealed with a kiss. This would end soon.  
  
****  
  
Part Three  
  
Stacy had pushed past all the gathered and made her way to the divas locker room. In fact, she all but ran. Mostly to avoid her irate client Triple H. She had seen the look on his face and hadn't felt like dealing with him at the moment. Now that the fight was over, she was reeling from the shock of what had happened.  
  
She was here. She was here in the WWE. Stacy had been certain she left all that behind her. She really should have known better. Should have known that sooner or later, she would come seek her out. Stacy had run to avoid that exact conflict, but she had followed her. Amazing, she hadn't have seemed to change in all these years. But then again, Stacy didn't look any different either. No, the difference was all below the skin. And in the eyes.  
  
Stacy remembered the hate in her eyes, knew that her eyes held the same hatred. But Stacy could also remember a time when they didn't hold hatred. When they held something else entirely . . .  
  
But she wasn't going to think about that. Stacy wasn't going to dwell on the past. What had been done had been done. It was all over and nothing could change that. Nothing could make it right. Nothing could end the extreme hate and hurt on both their sides. And once, that would have saddened her. But now, she felt nothing about it. It would be done, and that was that.  
  
The trainer was pounding on the door. She had locked it before getting in. He wanted to take a look at her, at her injuries. Stacy was well aware that she had been hurt. There was blood trickling down from the tiny cuts from the glass. She was limping slightly; her left leg had been damaged. But she didn't care. She wasn't going to stay here. Not after all that, not after everyone had seen. Stacy just needed to be gone.  
  
She changed into her street clothes, piling all of her stuff into her duffel bag. Grabbing the keys to her rental car, Stacy made for the door. She unlocked and wrenched it open. Immediately, Hunter and the trainer mobbed her. She pushed both of them, sending them back a foot or two. Hunter seemed stunned at the sudden strength she was displaying, but Stacy couldn't care less. She turned on her heel and marched toward the parking lot.  
  
*****  
  
Hunter had been stunned when she pushed him. Stacy wasn't a strong girl, she was practically a stick. But she pushed him and the trainer back a few feet. And now she was marching towards the parking lot.  
  
Anger overcame him as he trailed after her.  
  
"You're hurt," he barked, grabbing at her elbow. "You need to be checked out."  
  
She jerked her arm out of his grasp and gave him a killer look.  
  
"Back off Hunter," she hissed. "I'm not in the mood right now."  
  
"You're bleeding all over!" the Game yelled at her, still following. "You need to go to the trainer. What the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
Stacy ignored him and walked faster. Hunter was practically seething as he followed her down the hall. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. He watched as Stacy stomped by the refreshment table. Team Extreme was standing nearby. Lita had thrown a jersey over her bikini and Matt and Jeff were standing close by her side. They seemed to be shielding the redhead from Stacy. Imagine, the Hardys were afraid of Stacy Kiebler.  
  
And she stomped by without a second glance. Hunter was caught between the desire to forcibly drag her to the trainer and the need to stay out of her way. But apparently, Molly Holly didn't have the same problem.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the homicidal bimbo," the Women's Champ sneered. "What the hell is wrong with you Stacy? Don't you have any sense of decency? I mean, first there was that degrading display of prancing around in a bikini, and then-"  
  
Molly never had the chance to finish her sentence. Stacy grabbed the woman by the back of her head and threw her across the hall. Molly flew over the refreshment table and slammed up against the wall with a painful thud.  
  
"Shut up Molly," Stacy sneered before calmly making her way to the parking lot. Hunter had stopped in his tracks, watching in the unconscious form of Molly in shock. Team Extreme huddled near the fallen woman, muttering quietly amongst themselves. Hunter turned his eyes to Stacy's retreating back.  
  
What the hell is going on?  
  
*****  
  
Erin O'Connor stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She had some cuts on her face and neck, massive cuts on her back, and bruising practically everywhere. Her right arm was hurting something awful. She was an injured body indeed.  
  
Gingerly, she peeled off her tank top and leather pants. Standing in nothing but her bra and panties, Erin gave her wounds a once over. Sighing, she pulled out her first aid kit and began bandaging herself up. She might have to get her arm looked at. But if she just wrapped it tight and kept it elevated, everything would be just fine. She might have to call for an ice pack, but that's it.  
  
She tended to her cuts first, swiping disinfectant over her wounds. She ran some water, wiping away at the dried blood on her arms. She watched as it ran with the water, a pink substance swirling down the pipe.  
  
It was all about blood. Her blood, Stacy's blood, the blood of their blood. And the blood staining both their hands. All about the blood. Where did all this blood come from?  
  
Their action and their decisions. It was their actions that brought about their own tragedy. Their decisions sealed their hatred of each other. And that should have been saddening for her, but Erin didn't care. She was too tired to care. She only wanted one thing.  
  
Vengeance. Pure and simple. The one thing that would put an end to the years of hurt. And if they were really lucky, maybe they would kill each other, ending it for all time. Then it would end and there would be blessed oblivion.  
  
Erin winced as she rubbed disinfectant over the gash on her cheek. She fingered the bruise against her neck. The faintest of blood had trickled out. Stacy had pierced just the outer most layer of skin. So close to it all being over. So close . . .  
  
It had been stupid to try it at the arena. Obviously they wouldn't have been able to finish it there. No, it would be over at another place, another time. Just as their people had always done it and would always do it. She may have forgotten several things along the way, but she never forgot who she was. Neither had Stacy, they may hide it, but it would never leave them. It was in their blood.  
  
Again with the blood. It really was everywhere. A person couldn't get away from it. Blood soaked the soil of the Earth.  
  
Erin shook her head to clear away her morbid thoughts. Enough of that. She had to concentrate on Stacy and revenge. Otherwise she might lose the remnants of her sanity.  
  
*****  
  
Stacy was hurt. Her leg was killing her. She would have to get it looked at it the morning. Her cuts and bruises were already taken care of. She had massive bandages all over her body.  
  
Stacy always thought that she kept up her training. Every night she practiced, but against Erin tonight, she had lacked. Her moves were stiff and awkward. Erin was not at all stiff. She was in top form. Stacy would have to train harder, in a more spacious area. If that alerted everyone to her skills, then so be it. Nothing mattered anymore. Just revenge.  
  
Revenge and blood. The foundation of her people. Stacy flicked her eyes to her suitcase, to the sword lying on top of her clothes. They would do this the old way, like all their people did.  
  
And they would finish it this time.  
  
*****  
  
Part Four  
  
Erin sat discontentedly in her chair. Her green eyes roamed over the other people in the room. Vince had called some sort of meeting for the lot of them. No one knew quite what it was about, but they kept staring at her as if she was the reason. She probably was.  
  
Her traveling eyes landed on two figures way on the other side of the room. Stacy and her client, Triple H. The Game had been keeping his manager a far distance from the new diva. It made Erin want to laugh. Like Stacy needed his protection. Had he not seen the way she fought on RAW?  
  
The blonde noticed her attention, bristling slightly. Erin let her eyes go dark, a smirk coming to her face. She would sit through the trivialities of this business if it meant getting her hands on the blonde. Erin was pretty sure she'd sell her soul for it, if it came down to that. Nothing else mattered anymore; nothing else had mattered for years.  
  
Stacy was becoming more infuriated by the second. Erin understood her feelings. She was itching to get into it as well. But they would have to wait. Tonight, they were working. Well, they would be working if Vince ever got his ass over here.  
  
Speak of the devil, the owner of the WWE decided to make his entrance. Finally, she was beginning to get bored.  
  
"Well, I'm sure your all wondering why you're here," the man began, eyes flickering nervously between Erin and Stacy. Vince was slightly afraid of them. Erin grinned at that. He was a smart man after all.  
  
"Very well, after the events of RAW," Vince let the events go unsaid. Everyone knew what he was talking about. Erin didn't have to look to see that half the room was staring at her.  
  
"I've decided that there will be a very special lumberjack match on Smackdown," Vince continued. "It will be Erin versus Stacy in the ring, surrounded by at least fifteen male wrestlers. It will be an ordinary match besides that. First pin fall wins, and falls only count on the inside-"  
  
He had things to add after that, but Erin didn't much care. She simply got out of her seat and marched out the doors. She heard Vince sputtering behind her and it brought a smile to her lips. But she didn't turn back.  
  
She had a match to prepare for.  
  
*****  
  
Stacy watched the slight uproar that developed over Erin's departure. If they thought that was interesting, wait until the match tonight. The blonde knew in her gut that it was going to be brutal. Mostly because she planned on hurting Erin very badly.  
  
They might not be able to finish it tonight, but they would get a few good shots in. Satisfied, Stacy got up and left the room herself.  
  
*****  
  
Hunter scrambled to his feet when he noticed Stacy leaving. Only the restraining wave from Vince prevented him from following her.  
  
"What?" the Game demanded gruffly.  
  
"I have some important instructions for the lumberjacks," Vince explained. "I'm not making this a lumberjack for the usual reasons. Your job out there is solely to prevent those two ladies from killing or crippling one another. If at any point the ref loses control, you all jump in and separate them."  
  
"A bit extreme," Chris Jericho tossed in from the back.  
  
"If you saw the RAW telecast, you would know that it's not," Vince replied. "And that is all. Have a good show people."  
  
The wrestlers began muttering amongst themselves as they rose up from their seats. Hunter didn't bother to stay and listen what the others had to say. He had to go find his manager.  
  
Before she found Erin.  
  
*****  
  
Erin waited patiently for Stacy to emerge. She smirked when the blonde exited the room mere minutes after she had. Erin watched with cool eyes as Stacy approached her, arms folded over her chest and feet ready in a defensive stance.  
  
"We going to finish it?" Erin asked calmly. Stacy nodded.  
  
"You can even pick the time and place," the blonde offered graciously.  
  
"Well, isn't that kind of you-"  
  
Whatever else she had to say was cut off by the arrival of Terri Runnels.  
  
"What is the deal with you two?" the little blonde asked, pulling a cameraman along with her. She foolishly placed herself between the other two women and commenced offering them a mike.  
  
"Why do you two hate each other so much?"  
  
"Why is the sky blue?" Erin asked in response. "It just is. We just do."  
  
"There has to be more behind it than that," Terri protested, pointing the mike in Stacy's direction.  
  
"There's always something more to it Terri," Stacy answered, eyes trained on Erin. "But we don't feel like sharing at the moment. Just know, we're going to settle this, once and for all."  
  
"Now that you can't run anymore, we will," Erin couldn't help adding. Stacy stiffened slightly, her eyes hardening at the insinuation.  
  
"Well, if you had just let me make my own decisions, maybe I wouldn't have had to run away," the blonde shot back.  
  
"Don't you pin this on me!" Erin all but screamed. "If you had done what you were told, then none of this would be happening!"  
  
"Oh sure, blame me for all the trouble," Stacy hissed back at her. "You always did love making me at fault for everything that went wrong. Why not this? Even though you're the one-"  
  
"Me?" Erin cut her off. "You lied to me. You lied to everyone and you let us think things were safe! You let us think that and look how many people paid the price!"  
  
"So everything you did was justified?" Stacy shrieked. "Everything you did can be forgiven? But everything I did was selfish and damning for all time? God, why is it never your fault? Why are you never wrong?"  
  
Erin was all ready to attack. How dare Stacy try and pin this on her? Make herself seem like the victim in all this. But Erin knew the truth, she had been there. In the end, Stacy caused the ruin of them all.  
  
She also saw Hunter making his way over to the two of them. Flicking her gaze at Terri, she found the tiny woman obviously afraid and intimidated by the two enemies. Rolling her eyes, Erin turned on her heel and stalked away.  
  
"Just get your ass to that ring," she tossed over her shoulder.  
  
"Don't you worry!" Stacy called after her. "I'll be there."  
  
*****  
  
"What is with you two?" Hunter demanded, turning Stacy to face him. "What the hell happened between you two?"  
  
"None of your business," Stacy shot back. "Listen up carefully Hunter, because I am not saying this again. I am your manager; I have to do everything you command of me, in the business sense. This isn't business, this is personal. And don't you ask me again."  
  
And with that, she shouldered past him and down the hall. He watched her go, clenching his fists in anger. He saw Terri angling the mike up to him and sighed.  
  
"Here's hoping they don't kill one another," he shrugged into the camera. And then he took off down the hall after his manager.  
  
*****  
  
Part Five  
  
It was supposed to be a regular match, in hopes that they wouldn't inflict that much damage on one another. It was in vain.  
  
Stacy waited in the ring, eyes on the ramp. Her ring attire was entirely different than the kind the fans were used to. She didn't give a rat's ass. If she were to survive this match, then the wedgie shorts and chest constraining shirts would have to be left behind. She was going to fight tonight. Not run around and whimper like a baby, no she was going to FIGHT.  
  
Her eyes flicked over the lumberjacks for the match. A women's match with male lumberjacks. Who had ever heard of such a thing? It was ridiculous. Vince could have just asked them not to kill one another. But then again, they probably wouldn't have listened.  
  
She looked at all of them. Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Hunter, Jericho, Edge, Bubba, Spike, RVD, Taker, and Kane. Ten of them, surrounding the ring. Add onto that Lita, Trish, Torrie, Ivory, and Molly. The Women's Champ was still angry but shying away from Stacy. Probably didn't want a repeat of what happened on RAW. Stacy couldn't help but smirk to herself. She had actually enjoyed that.  
  
Erin's music hit the air and Stacy ceased to think of anyone else. She watched as the brunette made her way onto the ramp. The fans were cheering, for lack of anything else to do. They didn't really know if they liked Erin yet, hell, they weren't sure how they stood on Stacy anymore. But they would cheer because they knew they were about to be entertained.  
  
Stacy watched Erin as she made her way to the ring. The brunette wore the same leather pants and tank top she had worn on RAW. Her green eyes were more focused than Monday night as well. They wouldn't lose control, least not right away.  
  
Erin slid into the ring and stopped just shy of Stacy. The two women just stared at one another for a little while. Earl Hebner was quick to step in the middle.  
  
"Let's keep it clean girls," he advised nervously. Erin just smirked at him. Those green eyes turned to Stacy and the blonde could feel the burning rage in them.  
  
"Here we are," Erin sneered. "You, me, and all these witnesses. So, let's keep it clean. For now."  
  
"Shut up and fight," Stacy tossed back. Erin only grinned wider.  
  
"Come on, none of that now," the brunette admonished. "We're supposed to handle this with sportsmanship and such. So come on Stacy. Give her a kiss."  
  
Stacy narrowed her eyes at Erin. The brunette continued to grin like a Cheshire cat. Stacy reared back and punched the waiting girl on the mouth. Erin's head snapped back, her hand going immediately to her mouth. She turned back to Stacy, smirk still in place.  
  
"Attagirl," the brunette encouraged before landing a right hook of her own. Stacy flew back, landing on the ropes. She gripped the ropes, looking down at the shocked faces of Team Extreme. She gave them a sneer before turning around to face Erin once more. Her hand went to her jaw, rubbing the sore spot. She was going to bruise. So was Erin for that matter. They approached each other slowly once more.  
  
And then it began.  
  
*****  
  
Jeff could barely believe his eyes. He had literally felt the tension in the arena when Erin appeared on the ramp. It was this crawling feeling, snaking up and down his back. It had gotten worse when the brunette actually entered the ring.  
  
When Stacy first struck Erin, he had flinched. In fact, so had everyone at ringside. It had looked painful. Jeff heard the contact from where he was standing. He had been amazed that Erin remained standing. In fact, she just smiled like she approved.  
  
And when Erin struck Stacy, Jeff swore his heart stopped. The blonde had gone stumbling onto the ropes. Hunter had stepped forward, like he wanted to stop the thing right now. Only Bubba and Edge were able to restrain him. Stacy didn't notice any of it. She looked down at him and sneered. And then she turned back to Erin.  
  
They went at it just like on RAW. Only it was slightly worse than before. They weren't even pretending to wrestle. This was an all and all brawl. Fists flew, legs kicked, and bodies went tumbling around the ring. Jeff had seen some brutal fights in his life, but he had never felt like this about them. Deep inside, Jeff was frightened by the sheer anger behind it.  
  
No one knew what the story was. Several people had asked. They had all been snubbed. Neither of the two women felt like sharing, but everyone knew it was something big. Something very bad had gone down between these two. Maybe that was the reason why Jeff had such a bad feeling about this. Something absolutely wretched must have happened to make them hate each other so much.  
  
And Jeff couldn't help but feel for the both of them.  
  
*****  
  
Hunter chewed angrily on his gum. The match continued. There weren't any near falls as of yet. Probably because neither women cared much for it. They just wanted to hit one another.  
  
And they did hit one another. They hit each other very hard. Hunter cringed from the force of the blows. He could almost feel the power behind them.  
  
He watched in pride as Stacy knocked Erin to the ground. The blonde launched into a series of furious kicks to the woman's ribs. Stacy gripped the top ropes for leverage, never once ceasing in her kicking. Hunter's approval melted into fear as the blonde failed to stop. Erin was being lifted off the ground by the force of the kicks. The brunette was grimacing through her pain, but Hunter could see that she couldn't hold out much longer.  
  
Hebner jumped in finally, pulling the blonde off the brunette. Or at least he tried to. Stacy wrenched off his arm, sending the ref flying backwards. She turned back to Erin, lifting her leg to kick again. Hunter got ready to jump in, his fellow lumberjacks moving to the ring as well.  
  
But they weren't needed. Erin caught Stacy's foot before it landed its kick. She twisted the girl's foot, sending Stacy flying onto her back. Erin scrambled to her feet, one arm slung around her midsection. She was hurting. That much was obvious, but it didn't stop her.  
  
Erin pounded on Stacy's left leg, going for the previous injury. The blonde screamed in pain. That was enough for Hunter. He leapt onto the ring apron, determined to end the thing right then and there.  
  
What he didn't expect was the dropkick Erin landed on him. He barely registered her movements before he felt her foot connecting with his chest. He went flying back down to ringside, his chest hurting something awful. He raised angry eyes to the brunette, but she was already back to fighting with Stacy.  
  
Edge and Bubba put restraining hands on his arms.  
  
"Let them duke it out," Edge advised him. "And when they tire out, we'll separate them."  
  
Hunter only growled in response. Those two would tire out when one of them was dead.  
  
*****  
  
They weren't stopping. Lita watched the two combatants fearfully from ringside. They weren't stopping. Stacy was bleeding again, from a gash above her left eye. Erin was still favouring her ribcage, but refusing to back down.  
  
Lita watched as they landed a punch on one another at the same time. They went flying apart, falling to the floor of the ring. And finally, they stayed there. Both stayed on their backs, breathing heavily. Stacy had her eyes shut, clutching at her left leg in obvious pain. Erin gripped her ribs hard, her eyes open and glazed over.  
  
Hebner was administering the ten count. Neither of them could even get up. As he neared the two count, they turned and stared at one another. Lita could literally see the anger well up in them once more.  
  
Hebner finished the count, calling for the bell. But that didn't even matter. They got to their feet after the count. They stared at one another, tensing for the fight once more. And then they flew at each other once more.  
  
The lumberjacks filtered into the ring, pulling the irate girls apart. Edge and Bubba grabbed Erin and lifted her up and out of the ring. The brunette was tossed into the waiting hands of Taker and Kane. The Brothers of Destruction struggled with the frenzied girl, dragging her backstage. Hunter wrapped his arms around Stacy, trying to keep her in the ring. Only with the help of Matt and Jeff was he able to. The other lumberjacks stayed at the end of the ramp, keeping a human wall between the two.  
  
Lita remained outside the ring, watching the whole scene with wide eyes.  
  
What the hell had happened between those two?  
  
*****  
  
Part Six  
  
They finally managed to calm Stacy down. Hunter had dragged the blonde to the trainer, waiting as she got checked out. Erin had checked by the medics and given clearance to leave before Stacy even made it to the trainer.  
  
Stacy was okay, essentially. Her left leg had been bandaged up, the cut on her forehead cleaned and taped. She was going to bruise severely later on, but that would go away in a day or two. Much of her strength was recovered just waiting for the trainer to finish looking her over. After he was done, Hunter had swept her up in his arms and threw her in his car. He left no room for argument and Stacy for once decided not to start one. His left brow was kind of twitching. It only did that when he was extremely angry.  
  
The other wrestlers were left dazed and confused, just like on Monday. The APA decided enough was enough and told everyone to follow them. Half the roster flooded into the bar of their choosing, milling around and getting drunk. But they were all avoiding the same thing. No one would talk about what happened that night. They wanted to ignore it.  
  
Jeff couldn't ignore it. He couldn't just pretend the feelings he had gotten off that match weren't a big deal. He was rattled by what had happened. He couldn't just with his friends, ignoring the giant elephant in the room. Jeff wanted to go sit by the elephant, maybe help it find its way out.  
  
So he left to a more isolated bar. He had one goal in mind: get drunk and muse over the events of the day. He just couldn't forget how he felt at ringside, when the girls were going at it. It bothered him.  
  
And the funny thing is, he just couldn't seem to escape the two of them. Not even when everyone else was trying desperately to ignore them, not when he slipped away for a moment himself. Because right as he entered his selected bar, his eyes went straight across the room to land on her.  
  
She had changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt with a leather jacket over top. Even from this far away, Jeff could see the white of the bandage around her ribs as she moved, causing her shirt to ride up and then back down. Her brown hair was let loose around her head. It looked wild and very sexy. And she was throwing back beers like they were water.  
  
He made his way over to her without really knowing why. He stopped just shy of her. Before he could even open his mouth, she spoke.  
  
"As long as you refrain from the inane Stacy questions," she said, answering his unspoken question. Jeff was slightly taken back, but nodded, agreeing to her terms. She waved him down to the seat next to her, signalling the bartender for two more beers.  
  
"What brings you here Jeff Hardy?" she asked, working on the rest of her current beer.  
  
"I was feeling a bit crowded with my friends," he replied, shrugging slightly. He accepted the beer from the bartender and turned back to her.  
  
"That match was intense."  
  
She snorted.  
  
"That was nothing," the brunette muttered. "We haven't even started yet."  
  
"Do you have to?"  
  
"Excuse me?" she asked, shooting him a strange look out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Do you have to?" Jeff repeated. "Start more. You guys scared the shit out of everyone tonight. They're afraid you're going to kill one another."  
  
"They're not that far off," she muttered, taking another beer from the bartender. "But I don't want to talk about that anymore."  
  
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, starting his second beer.  
  
"I don't know," she mumbled. "Think of something. You're supposed to be trying to impress me with stories of your manly competence."  
  
"I am?" Jeff laughed. She nodded.  
  
"Sure you are," she giggled. "So hop to it. I'm only going to be sober for a little while longer."  
  
Jeff laughed again and then began telling her stories involving him and Matt growing up. She found them terribly amusing, face lighting up with her smile. She was beautiful no doubt. But she had an ugly side.  
  
Jeff wished he could keep her beautiful all the time.  
  
*****  
  
Stacy glared silently at Hunter. He sat watching TV on the bed next to hers. He hadn't let her go to her own room. No, he was forcing her to bunk with him. So he could keep an eye on her. Stacy was irritated beyond hell.  
  
Who made him her keeper? She could take care of herself. That much had become evident in the last few days. But he didn't seem to get it. She wanted to be alone and yet there he was. She would be touched by his concern if it had happened at any other time.  
  
But it didn't. It was happening right in the middle of a time when she didn't need him around. In fact, right at the time she needed him gone. Stacy needed to practice, Erin would call her soon enough with the details. But somehow, Stacy didn't think Hunter would react nicely if she brought out her broad sword and commenced her practice. In fact, he might just resolve to tie her down to keep her safe.  
  
The blonde sighed and scrambled under the covers. She snapped off her table light and closed her eyes. Maybe in the morning, he would get off this protective kick. Either that, or she would have to give him the slip.  
  
Not even Hunter could stop this from happening.  
  
*****  
  
Erin lay on her side, watching the wall in front of her. She hadn't meant for this to happen. Everything with Stacy had been well planned out, nothing would distract her. And this happened. She honestly never figured it would become a problem. She hadn't been with anyone since . . . She never felt the desire to.  
  
But for some reason, she had tonight. With this strange man and his blonde and green hair. She wondered about that. Erin always thought she would never love again. Pessimistic, she knew that, but true. Not when her dreams had been ripped away from her so brutally. And this wasn't love per say, but it was the closest thing she had had to it for about five years.  
  
She turned around, shifting her body until she lay on her other side. An arm came snaking around her waist, helping her movements. She looked into Jeff's eyes and saw concern there.  
  
"You shouldn't move around so much," he admonished her. "Your ribs are seriously bruised. And I'm guessing our activities for the night didn't help much in that respect."  
  
He fingered her taped ribs, sending shivers up her spine.  
  
"We probably shouldn't have done most of that," he muttered sheepishly.  
  
"Don't worry about it," she waved off.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
She shrugged and settled her head onto his chest.  
  
"I heal fast," she offered in explanation.  
  
"No one can heal that fast," he protested. She closed her eyes and smiled, loving the rumbling of his chest when he spoke.  
  
"I can," she stated simply. He moved a hand to her chin, tilting her face upwards.  
  
"You can?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not like other girls," she explained. "I can heal fast."  
  
"Can Stacy?" he asked, thinking it over. Erin stilled before nodding.  
  
"What is it-"  
  
"Don't start that," she whispered, pleading with him. "I don't want to talk about that. I'm just too tired right now."  
  
"But I don't understand how this could have started," Jeff grumbled. "How such a hatred could take form."  
  
She sighed and snuggled deeper into his form. Her eyes remained open as she playing with the blanket covering them.  
  
"It started a long time ago," she finally answered. "Back when Stacy and I were still friends."  
  
"You were friends?" he declared in disbelief. "But what changed?"  
  
"It's a long and involved story," she muttered, getting up from her spot. This whole conversation had put her off. Jeff realized his mistake and pulled her back down to him.  
  
"Sorry," he mumbled into her hair. "I just don't see how friends could end up wanting to kill each other. How they could hate each other so much."  
  
"Oh that's simple," she smiled at him. "Hate is so much easier than guilt."  
  
"What do you have to feel guilty about?"  
  
She sighed, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"A lot more than you would think."  
  
*****  
  
Part Seven  
  
Erin waited until Jeff was in the shower before reaching for the phone. She punched in the number she knew to be Stacy's cell phone. She waited impatiently while the dial tone rang, tapping her fingers on the night table.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"About time," she snapped into the phone, eyes on the shower door. "What the hell took you so long? Oh should I say who?"  
  
"Hi Torrie, no I'm good," came the reply. Erin frowned and then rolled her eyes.  
  
"Pinocchio on Steroids over there?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"Of course!" came the happy reply. "So, when would you like to head out for shopping?"  
  
Erin rolled her eyes again, momentarily flicking her glance to the closed bathroom door.  
  
"Get a pen and some paper," she instructed Stacy. There was some rustling as Stacy did just that.  
  
"Okay, go ahead," came the bubbly command.  
  
"Rose Gardens, at quarter past one," Erin rattled off. "And what do you want to use? Swords, axes, staffs? What?"  
  
"The first one sounds good," Stacy replied thoughtfully. "It's my favourite."  
  
"Always was," Erin muttered. She heard the water stop and hung up on the blonde.  
  
*****  
  
Jeff waited by the door, straining to hear what was going on out there. He left the water on so she would think he was still in the shower. But the water inhibited his ability to pick up her conversation. He knew she was talking to Stacy, he knew that much by the tone in her voice. Just the anger there was clue enough.  
  
Sighing, he gave it up. Padding over to the shower, he turned off the water. Jeff changed into his clothes slowly, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"Done?"  
  
He looked over at the door. Erin stood, leaning against the doorframe. He shot her a grin.  
  
"Yep," he replied. "All yours."  
  
She nodded, walking further into the room. He noticed two things. One, she was more tense than before. There was a worry in her eyes and she seemed far off in her mind. And the second thing he noticed was that she wasn't favouring her ribs as much. Given the state she was in last night, and what they did for the rest of it, they should still be bothering her. He had been there when Stacy delivered those kicks. That would have damaged most male wrestler's ribs.  
  
He wandered over to her, fingers going immediately to her ribs. He fingered the ribs and noticed that she did wince slightly. Not completely healed, but considerably better than last night.  
  
"Not healed completely," he stated, voicing his thoughts. "You should probably steer away from matches until Smackdown just to be safe."  
  
She waved this off.  
  
"I'll be fine for RAW," she informed him, trying to brush his hand away. Jeff kept it on her ribs, pulling her closer to him.  
  
"What's going on?" he whispered to her. "What are you planning?"  
  
She gave him a hard look at that. She pulled away, starting the shower up again. She began pulling off her clothes, getting ready to shower. She ignored him completely. He tried to pull her towards him again.  
  
"Why can't you two just work through it?" he pleaded with her. She looked up at him with such sadness in her green eyes he wanted to cry.  
  
"It's too late," she whispered back. "There's nothing but hatred left. And that has to end somehow."  
  
"But-"  
  
"It has to end," this time more firmly. "We've lived with it for too long. Five years of living with the pain and we're still at this point. There is nothing left for either of us. We gave it all up to have this chance with each other."  
  
"What is it?" he demanded. "Why must you do this? Why can't you just heal?"  
  
"Old wounds don't heal," she shot back at him. She turned back to her shower, tears threatening to spill.  
  
"They fester."  
  
*****  
  
Hunter watched suspiciously as Stacy got ready for her shopping trip with Torrie. She seemed too excited to be the moody girl he had brought back last night. She noticed his attention and shot him an exasperated look.  
  
"What?" she demanded. She had her hands on her hips, an annoyed look on her face. He noticed a slip of paper sticking out of her pants. Quickly he averted his eyes to her face.  
  
"Stay away from Erin," he warned her. "Don't want to have to bail you out of jail on murder charges."  
  
She rolled her eyes at that, grabbing her stuff and stomping out the door. He waited until she was farther down the hallway before walking over to the night table.  
  
There was a pad of hotel stationary lying there, the top sheet having been ripped off. He grabbed a pencil and shaded over the second sheet. Slowly, the message became clearer.  
  
Rose Gardens, 1: 15.  
  
He frowned at that. He shot a glance at the clock. 12: 30. That meant he only had forty-five minutes to figure out what was going on.  
  
*****  
  
Jeff didn't know what to do. He knew something was going to happen, and that it most likely wasn't going to be good. He raked a hand through his hair and frowned. How the hell could he stop them when he didn't even know what was going on?  
  
The answer stepped off the elevator and into the lobby. Hunter was marching to the front desk, and piece of paper in his hands. Jeff immediately recognized the look on the man's face. Hunter looked how he felt. Jeff made his way over to him.  
  
"That's just twenty minutes from here," he heard the clerk tell Hunter. "Really isolated at this time of year. Nobody goes up there until summer."  
  
Hunter thanked the man and turned around, stopping when he saw Jeff behind him.  
  
"You too, huh?" Hunter asked. Jeff nodded.  
  
"I've got a bad feeling about this," he informed the other man. Hunter nodded his agreement. He waved the piece of hotel stationary at Jeff.  
  
"Let's go get them."  
  
*****  
  
"Someone got some last night."  
  
Erin smirked at Stacy's declaration.  
  
"Jealous?" she asked snidely. "I figured that I might be alive by the end of today. So why wait?"  
  
Stacy nodded.  
  
"Good philosophy," the blonde mused. "Wished I had thought of it."  
  
Erin shrugged.  
  
"Whatever," the brunette sighed. "Let's do this."  
  
"Don't sound so excited anymore," Stacy commented.  
  
"I'm tired Stacy," Erin admitted, tone slightly forlorn. "I wish I could say this would make me feel better, but we both know the answer to that. It's just the next step straight into Hell."  
  
"Then why do we have to do it?" Stacy asked softly.  
  
"Because it's all that's left," Erin muttered. "After all we took from each other, this is all we have left. Sad huh?"  
  
"Very," Stacy agreed. The blonde shook herself and then raised her sword.  
  
"Let's do it."  
  
Erin raised her own sword. The two saluted each other and then the Goddess. And then they attacked.  
  
***** 


	2. Part Eight

***Not sure if anyone even remembers this one, but I did send out the other seven parts before. I guess I finally decided to continue it. Let me know what you think.***  
  
Title: Old Wounds  
  
Author: eena_angel2001  
  
Email: eena_angel@hotmail.com or igrewal@sfu.ca  
  
Rating: R  
  
Content: Het, warning: mentions of rape later on.  
  
Characters: The main ones, Stacy and Erin, with Jeff and Hunter coming up second. There's also a whole slew of others.  
  
Category: WWE, slightly AU.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, except Erin.  
  
Spoilers: None really.  
  
Summary: Old wounds never really heal . . .  
  
Notes: okay, there's a whole bunch of stuff:  
  
1. warning here is that later in the story there will be some discussion of rape.  
  
2. This is lightly based on a storyline from Xena. I used to watch that show when I was younger and there was one storyline that really stuck out to me. It was real angst-y and I don't know if anyone will recognize it. Probably will, so I won't reveal everything just yet.  
  
3. This is AU, so here are some things that I change in the WWE verse. One thing, no branch extension, I never liked it, still don't. And I'm changing some alliances and stuff, haven't really gotten anything concrete except that Stacy will be walking out HHH for reasons explained later.  
  
4. This will have supernatural elements.  
  
Part Eight  
  
Jeff knew it would be bad. There was no way that it wouldn't be bad. Those two were seriously out of control where the other was concerned. They were going to do something very bad.  
  
Hunter cursed, dodging in and out of traffic rather erratically. His eyes went to the dashboard. It was one-thirty. Whatever they had been planning started fifteen minutes ago. He prayed that they were both still alive. He couldn't explain the sense of urgency inside of him at that moment. It was hard to describe, but he knew that he had to hurry. Before it was too late.  
  
Jeff gripped the armrest tightly, sighing in relief when Hunter finally parked the car. Both men jumped out, looking at the abandoned park around them.  
  
"Where are they?" he asked Hunter, green eyes flickering over the area.  
  
Hunter threw up his hands, noting that there were no other cars around. He left lost for a second, standing still as he tried to think. And that's when they both heard it. Sounds of clashing metal. Hunter raised his head, shooting Jeff a disbelieving look.  
  
"It's them," the green-haired man ascertained quickly. "Let's go."  
  
Hunter grumbled as he followed the other man through a bush of flowers. The noises were far off, the two of them had gone deep into the gardens. Hunter shook his head, not wanting to dwell on what they were doing. Instead, he forced himself into a run, barely registering when Jeff did the same. He couldn't run fast enough to those sounds, his stomach clenching every time he heard one.  
  
He didn't know what was going on. But he did know that it couldn't be good.  
  
*****  
  
Erin grit her teeth, refusing to let out a cry as she felt Stacy's sword cut into the flesh of her left arm. Instead she only growled, using her sword to propel the blonde away from her. Stacy flew back, recovering quickly and bringing her sword back up.  
  
"Someone's been practicing," she noted, touching a hand to her wound. Flesh wound, nothing more. It wouldn't slow her down much.  
  
Stacy just growled in response, charging forward again. Erin smirked to herself. Old habits die hard, the blonde still had no patience. It was always one of her follies. She tended to rush battles instead of taking the time to survey the situation. Just because Erin had been cut didn't mean she was at any advantage. In fact, it just she was more pissed than before. The only difference was that Erin knew how to focus in combat while Stacy always did prefer a rather erratic attack plan.  
  
Erin sidestepped her, using her own momentum to send the woman falling to her knees. The brunette brought her sword up, looking down to see Stacy still struggling to get up. She closed her eyes and brought her sword swinging down in an arc. It was finally over.  
  
But it wasn't quite over. She never even heard the man coming, so absorbed was she with the fight. She doubted Stacy heard him coming, doubt Stacy was even aware of what was going on. The blonde should have lost her head just then, but she didn't.  
  
Erin gave a shocked grunt as someone slammed into her from the right side. The wind was knocked out of the brunette as she and her attacker fell to the floor. He landed on top of her, driving the air out of her body. Her head hit the ground with a hard thump, causing her sight to black out for a second. The person on top of her let out a string of curses as they fell down. He knocked the sword out of her hand, she heard it skitter away.  
  
She let loose her own curses as she regained her breath. She flailed at the man on top of her, shrieking in indignation.  
  
"Get off you jerk!"  
  
"I'm the jerk!" was the incredulous response. "You're a fucking psycho lady!"  
  
"Hunter, what the fuck are you doing here? And why the hell is Jeff- oh. Good choice Erin."  
  
The brunette rolled her eyes, regaining her sight as well. Her eyes looked up, sending an annoyed look to the man on top of her.  
  
"Get the fuck off me Helmsely," she ordered him. The Game just continued to glare down at her, gripping her arms fiercely in his hands.  
  
"You were trying to kill Stacy," he growled at her.  
  
"And I would have if you had kept your exceptionally long nose out of it," she threw back at him defiantly. He fumed, increasing his grip on her arms.  
  
Stacy looked down at them, shaking her head. She stretched out a hand to Hunter's shoulders, pulling him off of Erin rather forcefully. The blonde stepped right in his face, glaring up at him.  
  
"You followed me!" she accused him. Hunter just widened his eyes, not believing what he was hearing.  
  
"Can you blame me?" he roared at her. "I knew you would do something stupid, but this takes the cake! What the fuck Stacy? You have swords and you're going at it like-"  
  
"Like we want to kill each other?" Erin supplied for him snidely. The brunette jerked back when Jeff reached out a hand to touch her.  
  
"I told you to leave it alone," she hissed at him. Jeff threw his hands up, shaking his head.  
  
"You two were going to kill each other!" he fumed. "How the hell could I just stay out of it?"  
  
"What the fuck is wrong with you two?" Hunter continued to yell. He snatched the weapon from Stacy's hand, waving it in her face. "I mean, what the fuck?"  
  
"None of your business," she shot back, taking the sword from him. "This was none of your business Hunter."  
  
"I can't believe you!" the man declared. "You're acting like I did something wrong. She was going to kill you!"  
  
"She had the right!" Stacy screamed back. "You had no right being here. You had no right to interfere. No one interferes!"  
  
"Who the fuck is no one?" Hunter countered. "Because as far as I know, this kind of thing hasn't been all that common since the fucking Middle Ages! Who are these people who know not to interfere?"  
  
Erin snorted in disgust, stalking over to recover her sword. She snapped it up, sending an acid look Hunter's way.  
  
"I could take his head for this," she stated, speaking more to Stacy than the others. The blonde straightened, turning to stand in front of Hunter at Erin's word.  
  
"You're not going to-"  
  
"I have all the right."  
  
"From where?" Jeff declared. "You can't just go around chopping people's heads off! This isn't fucking Highlander! Wait, this isn't something like Highlander is it?"  
  
Stacy rolled her eyes, never once moving from in front of Hunter.  
  
"You can't have his head," she told Erin. "This is between you and me."  
  
"You're both insane!" Hunter yelled from behind her. He tried pushing Stacy out of his way, surprised when she simply held him back with ease.  
  
Erin sneered at the both of them, taking her jacket and wrapping it over her coat.  
  
"You keep a better leash on your boy," she told Stacy. "Keep him from interfering next time."  
  
"Next time?" Hunter repeated in disbelief.  
  
"Same goes for you," Stacy retorted, sending her gaze to Jeff. Erin stiffened at that, sending Jeff a glare of her own. The brunette spun on her heel and made her way out of the gardens. Jeff stood uncertain in her absence, looking between Hunter and Stacy apprehensively. The blonde woman gave him a look, nodding in the direction that Erin had taken. He started, sending Hunter a bit of a confused look before taking off after the brunette.  
  
Once they were alone, Stacy allowed Hunter to spin her around.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded through clenched teeth. She looked up at him with unimpressed eyes, using her hand to push him back a step.  
  
"I told you to stay out of it," she started off.  
  
"You never said anything about swords!" Hunter objected quickly. "What the hell is wrong with you girls? People don't do this-"  
  
"Our people do," Stacy interrupted him. "We do this all the time. And you had no right sticking your nose in it!"  
  
"Explain to me how you planned to get out of this," Hunter demanded of her suddenly. "Either you died or murdered someone in cold blood. Are 'your people' well aware of the justice system of the entire fucking world? Murder is kind of illegal!"  
  
"You don't understand!" she shrieked, taking her own jacket and bundling her sword up in it.  
  
"Explain it to me," Hunter pressed. "Explain to me how this is okay."  
  
Stacy gave him a look, turning her face away.  
  
"You wouldn't believe me."  
  
"Try me," he suggested. "Because I want some sort of explanation for all of this. Just try me Stacy."  
  
*****  
  
"You won't believe it."  
  
"I'm pretty open right now," Jeff protested, following Erin into her hotel room. He slammed the door shut behind him, putting his hands on his hips as he glared at the woman in front of him. They had seemingly switched emotions on the way back to the hotel. Erin had lost her anger and become overly quiet and tired while Jeff abandoned his calm for rage. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.  
  
"Tell me before I call the cops," he threatened her. She shot him a glare at that, raising her chin defiantly.  
  
"You wouldn't dare," she told him.  
  
"Wouldn't I?" he demanded, stepping right up into her face. "You and Stacy were trying to slice each other's heads off. I say the cops might be the only way of keeping you two alive."  
  
"You can't save us," Erin replied softly. "Just because you stopped this doesn't mean that we will be stopped."  
  
"Just tell me what the hell happened!" he demanded desperately. "Tell me why this is so necessary! Why the fuck are you two so intent on killing one another?"  
  
Erin sighed, turning her attention to her sword as she threw it on her bed. Her eyes remained on the blade, hand tracing over the inscription on the hilt.  
  
"It's a long and involved story," she informed him. "And you're not going to believe any of it-"  
  
"Try me," he offered, voice losing some of the anger. "Just give me something here Erin. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do, I need to understand this. I need to try and stop you from killing each other."  
  
"Nothing you will learn could stop that," she cut him off abruptly. "Understand this Jeff, I can explain to you everything that has led up to this, but never will you be able to stop me and Stacy. We don't want to stop, so we won't. This was just a minor setback."  
  
"Tell me," Jeff pressed her. "Tell me why all of this is happening."  
  
She sighed, anger leaving her once more. She took up her sword, throwing it into her open suitcase by the bathroom door. She crawled into her bed, Jeff following her wordlessly. Her green eyes looked into his, a hand reaching out to caress his cheek.  
  
"I'm going to share with you the most sacred of secrets," she told him. "This is something we are not permitted to tell others, a secret we're supposed to keep onto death. But I think my death is at hand anyway, regardless of how any of this turns out. I wish I had thought enough ahead to leave you out of this, but I guess it was a moment of weakness. I wanted that kind of comfort again, just one last time."  
  
"You don't have to die," he pleaded with her. "Neither of you has to die."  
  
"No," she disagreed. "We're both going to die Jeff. Everyone dies, Stacy and I just probably ahead of all others. And why, well, that is a most complicated story. But I guess you should know, so here we go . . ."  
  
***** 


	3. Part Nine

Title: Old Wounds  
  
Author: eena_angel2001  
  
Email: eena_angel@hotmail.com mailto:eena_angel@hotmail.com or igrewal@sfu.ca mailto:igrewal@sfu.ca  
  
Rating: R  
  
Content: Het, warning: mentions of rape later on.  
  
Characters: The main ones, Stacy and Erin, with Jeff and Hunter coming up second. There's also a whole slew of others.  
  
Category: WWE, slightly AU.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, except Erin.  
  
Spoilers: None really.  
  
Summary: Old wounds never really heal . . .  
  
Notes: okay, there's a whole bunch of stuff:  
  
1. warning here is that later in the story there will be some discussion of rape.  
  
2. This is lightly based on a storyline from Xena. I used to watch that show when I was younger and there was one storyline that really stuck out to me. It was real angst-y and I don't know if anyone will recognize it. Probably will, so I won't reveal everything just yet.  
  
3. This is AU, so here are some things that I change in the WWE verse. One thing, no branch extension, I never liked it, still don't. And I'm changing some alliances and stuff, haven't really gotten anything concrete except that Stacy will be walking out HHH for reasons explained later.  
  
4. This will have supernatural elements.  
  
Part Nine  
  
There exists in this world two conflicting forces. One force brings the power of peace and the pull of order while the other brings the power of war and the pull of destruction. These two forces have existed since the beginning of time and they will continue to exist until the End of Days and beyond. They are the basis on which the world revolves, the basis by which a balance is achieved in this life. One cannot exist without the other, and the end of the one brings the end of everything.  
  
These two forces manifest themselves in two bodies: Pax, the Goddess, and Hel, the Destroyer. Pax, through the very nature of her being, has always been one to preserve the balance in the world. Though she held nothing but disdain in her heart for Hel, she knew the importance of the balance. Peace cannot exist if there was no sentiment for war. Order could not prevail if it did not have the threat of destruction to prevail over. This was the precarious balance of the world and Pax knew it.  
  
Hel acknowledged no such regard for balance. For Hel, the world exists solely for the purpose of her destruction. And by act of her destruction, that meant peace and order would have to be wiped out. Hel lived for the destruction of everyone and everything, she cared nothing for the balance, wanted it to be gone. Hel waged war with Pax herself, knowing that before she could prevail over the world Pax would have to be the first to fall to the destruction.  
  
The forces of peace and war then struggled for domination of world and through act of sheer desperation both beings instilled their essence into a group of creatures. These creatures began as human, but through intervention of the Goddess and the Destroyer, evolved into something greater, something more powerful, and something more dangerous than before.  
  
These creatures became the foot soldiers of the battle between Hel and Pax, the ones who would decide the final outcome of the conflict. Through their inner war, the victors would decide the lot of the world. If Pax's children persevered, then the balance of the world would continue to exist in its entirety. If Hel's minions won, then the world would be cast into chaos and all things would fall victim to the Destruction.  
  
And so a great battle began on the Earth itself, both armies engaged in this conflict under the noses of all humans around them. Thousands of years have passed since the start of this war, and many more will pass before it is over. The children of Pax and Hel fight to the death, but one has not yet prevailed over the other. Great victories and defeats have befallen both sides, but yet nothing has been resolved. The battle continues to rage, even in our times, and it will continue until the End of Days.  
  
The people of Pax have been bestowed the name of the Amazoni and the minions of Hel taken the title of the Centauri. And their war rolls on, unbeknownst to the rest of the world-  
  
*****  
  
"Are you an Amazon or a Centaur?"  
  
Stacy gave a frustrated growl, turning a full on glare on Hunter.  
  
"Could you please not interrupt?" she asked through clenched teeth. "I have a lot of story to go."  
  
"But are you-"  
  
"Of course I'm Amazoni," Stacy shook her head. "Do you think I would be a Centauri after that lovely description I gave?"  
  
Hunter gave her a look.  
  
"Just trying to humour you," the man shrugged. "After all, it's becoming more and more apparent to me that you don't realize how crazy you sound."  
  
"I'm not crazy Hunter," Stacy insisted. "And if that's what you think, then I'm not going to tell you the rest-"  
  
"I didn't say I didn't want to hear it," he protested.  
  
"But you refuse to believe it," Stacy finished for him. The blonde folded her arms across her chest and stared quite levelly at him.  
  
"You wanted to understand, and for that to happen, you're going to have to believe in what I say," she informed him. "There are things that exist in this world that you can't see, things you have never been privilege to. But since you have insisted on inserting yourself in the middle of my life, I'm letting you in on these things."  
  
"I'm not inserting myself anywhere!" Hunter growled. "I'm trying to stop you or Erin from dying-"  
  
"You can't!" she threw back at him.  
  
"Why the hell not?" he roared. Stacy fell silent, drawing her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. Her eyes went to his and she let some of her sorrow flow into them.  
  
"Erin and I were once the closest of friends," she began in a whisper. "There was a time when I would have gladly laid my life down for hers, and she would have done the same for me. We were more than friends, more than sisters. We were joined together in a harmony of spirit that came from our common lineage to the Goddess. And we loved each other more than I could ever explain."  
  
"Why did it change?" Hunter asked. Stacy sighed and her eyes fell to her hands.  
  
"It started one day, about five years ago. I was waiting for Erin to show up . . ."  
  
*****  
  
"I was late."  
  
Jeff frowned, looking at Erin in confusion.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I was late," she repeated, shifting slightly her bed and hugging her pillow closer to her chest. "Stacy and I had a bit of a routine, it wasn't the most interesting routine in the world, but it was the way we lived. We both worked part time, though at different ends of the town, and we both got off at the same time. We would always meet up in the park and then walk home. It wasn't safe for Amazoni to be out on their own, ever. Centauri were everywhere, and you couldn't always recognize them, like you couldn't always recognize an Amazoni. And for the majority of our lives, this arrangement had worked for us. Until that one day, that one day I was late."  
  
"What happened?" Jeff asked quietly. Erin shook her head and he swore he saw tears threatening in her eyes.  
  
"Something very bad happened."  
  
*****  
  
"It was dark that night, sun setting a lot sooner than usual. I was waiting for Erin, but she had been delayed. Of course, we didn't realize for a long while afterwards that it had all been a set up, that the Centauri had been watching us for so long. We were young, too young to yet be fully initiated into the battle. We hadn't finished our training just yet, we were essentially still children. And no matter how bad the fighting got, Amazoni and Centauri had always steered clear of each other's children. Until that night."  
  
"Stacy?" Hunter prompted when she fell silent. Big tears rolled down the blonde's cheek and she sniffled pitifully for a second before continuing.  
  
"They planned a bit of an accident outside of Erin's work. There was a car crash and she had to stay for a few minutes while the cops got her statement. She left right after that, no more then twenty minutes late. But it was long enough for them."  
  
"Long enough for what?"  
  
"It was dark and I was waiting for her. There were some people around, but they were a bit farther off. I didn't think too much of it, just sitting down by the fountain and waiting for Erin to join me. I was a little concerned, because she was never late, but I brushed it off. I didn't think too much of it, but I should have."  
  
She stopped again, laying down on her bed and turning to face the wall instead of Hunter.  
  
"There was only one of them, but he was much older than me. He was stronger and faster; I didn't even hear me sneak up on me. I was just standing there, deciding that I'd rather be closer to more people as it was just getting darker and darker all the time. He grabbed me before I got too far. I didn't even have a chance to scream."  
  
She paused and squeezed her eyes shut as more tears streamed down her face.  
  
"I didn't even have the chance to scream."  
  
*****  
  
"I got to the park twenty minutes late and I couldn't find her right away. I got scared, really scared, and started a great big hubbub to find her. I called everyone I knew, to see if she had just gotten one of the others to pick her up. But no one had heard from her. I looked and panicked for another good twenty minutes before I found her."  
  
"Erin, are you . . ."  
  
"No," she answered with a firm shake of her head. "Neither of us have been okay since that night. You weren't there Jeff, you didn't see her, and you can't even imagine-"  
  
She cut herself off, angrily wiping away her tears before she continued.  
  
"She just crawled out of the shadows, crying and shattered. I couldn't believe my eyes; I was just frozen for a second. And then she looked right up at me, broken beyond belief. I went to her and held her close. And she just looked at me and said: 'where were you?'"  
  
*****  
  
"I shouldn't have said that. Erin always blamed herself for it afterwards, even though she couldn't have possibly known. But she took it all on herself and nothing I said afterwards would change that. I didn't mean that I blamed her; I was just so numb that it was the only thing that came to mind. But I hurt her in ways I can't even understand when I said that, and that's what started it."  
  
"Started it?" Hunter repeated, his voice hoarse as he tried to wrap his mind around everything she had told him, everything Stacy had just revealed to him.  
  
"Our downfall," she answered simply. "That's what started our own downfall."  
  
*****  
  
"I stuck myself in the war viciously after that. There was no way I was staying out of it now. I trained harder and got my rank a lot faster than I should have. I joined the hunting parties with a vengeance, and I gathered more Centauri heads than anyone my age had ever done before. I suppose it frightened some of my people, Stacy included, but I just wouldn't stop. I wanted to kill every single damn one of them, and I was well on my way. They started to call me the Wrath of Pax, like I was the very incarnation of her disdain for the destroyers. It was kind of stupid I guess, to be called the wrath of peace, but it suited me. I was in a frenzy, and I would not stop."  
  
"What happened next?"  
  
*****  
  
"She fell in love. He was Amazoni, just like us, and his name was James. She loved him something fierce, perhaps even more than she ever loved me. It was like he completed her, filled that hole in her soul I created that night, by saying those stupid things. He calmed her a bit; she no longer hunted as recklessly and as hatefully as she had done before. It seemed like finally things would calm down, but it wasn't meant to be."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I messed up."  
  
*****  
  
"She was pregnant, and she hid it very well from everyone else. But soon, not even she could hide it and the Elders stepped in. There was no way they could allow an Amazoni bring a Centauri into this world. It was unheard of, and the mixture of Hel and Pax in the child would deform it, make it something unheard of. It couldn't be allowed and they wanted her to end it."  
  
"They told her to get an abortion?" Jeff asked incredulously. "Surely they didn't try to force-"  
  
"They did," Erin answered shortly. "You're looking at a history of hatred and disdain that has existed since pretty much the dawn of civilization. A mixture of Pax and Hel in one child could not be allowed. I know it sounds harsh, but you don't understand what it would have done to the child. It would have been born mad and proceeded to rip itself to shreds, as it grew older. There is a reason Pax and Hel exist apart, because they contradict one another. They couldn't have existed in one force because that would have led to their own destruction. If they could not exist as one, a human child would never have the chance. But Stacy didn't want to hear it. She wanted to keep her baby."  
  
*****  
  
"Erin helped me at first, because she had that love for me. And the guilt probably helped her override any of her sensibilities at the time. I ran from the Elders, and she came with me. But soon, it became more than just a problem for the Amazoni, it became one for the Centauri as well. They heard of my baby, and they didn't like the possibility of such power in one child. No matter that the child would be driven mad by the contradictions within her very being, they thought of her as a weapon. A weapon that they didn't want the Amazoni to have."  
  
"They wanted your baby?"  
  
"They wanted her power, they cared nothing for her. And after a while, even Erin began to see how much bigger this had gotten. It wasn't just about the child and me; it was about the bigger war. And then she chose to side with the Elders. I never felt so betrayed in all my life."  
  
*****  
  
"I wasn't going to force her into anything. I just wanted her to take a look around and see what really was there. I told her I couldn't hide her from the Elders anymore, it was for more than what she thought. I couldn't protect her by myself, not from the swarms of Centauri that surged after us. I begged her to return with me, but she didn't. Instead she left me in the middle of one night, and none of us saw hide or hair of her for two and a half months. When she finally came back, she told us that she had relented and had the abortion. But she had needed time to get over it, so she went off into solitude for a few weeks. And I believed her. But I should have known better."  
  
*****  
  
"I lied. I won't deny it any more. I lied to her and to everyone. I had my baby, and then I hid her. She was among regular humans, and they were no way any of them, not Amazoni or Centauri, would be able to find her. Or so I thought."  
  
"Stacy?" Hunter was becoming a bit frightened.  
  
"My baby girl turned out to be a monster. And for every death that happened in her wake, I was responsible for. Every single damn one."  
  
*****  
  
"The child was mad from the start. It was like it was possessed with a devil spirit. It killed by sheer thought, and once found by the Centauri, it was trained to kill efficiently. The followers of Hel gathered magicks that our people had feared for a long time, and she was aged much more rapidly than any normal child. She became their foremost warrior within a matter of two years, looking twenty when she was only a child of two. And they unleashed her on the Amazoni."  
  
*****  
  
"James was one of the last to fall victim to my Sara, and that pushed Erin over the edge. There was a battle, one unlike any either side had ever seen. Sara was killed, by Erin's own hand, but not before many casualties piled up on both sides. It was a bloodbath, and no one was the same after that. The truth eventually came out, my lies uncovered, and that was the end of it. Erin hated me, blaming me for James's death. I hated her for taking the life of my child. And it was all downhill from there."  
  
*****  
  
"We fought brutally for the first time just a week after the end of the battle. The Elders separated us and demanded that we work things out. Too much had happened, too many lives taken, and everyone just wanted things to go back to normal. But we would not agree. And we do not agree to this day. Long ago I promised her I would never rest until I saw her pay for all her lies. And at the same time she swore to me that she would never rest until she saw me pay for the wrongs done to her daughter. And that is how we ended up here."  
  
*****  
  
"We're going to kill each other, have no doubt," Stacy winded down. "There is nothing any of you can do to stop it."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts! It's over, it ends now!"  
  
*****  
  
"I'm going to make her pay."  
  
****** 


End file.
